A toxicology analysis report from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences indicated a blood sample from Taylor contained THC. He also was prohibited from use of any social media and must continue mental health and drug treatment therapy. Lee County Circuit Judge P.B. He also chronicled facts of the case, which included that Taylor was traveling at 90 to 80 miles per hour and in the five seconds before the crash, the vehicle was not slowed or steered. Taylor was booked into the Lee County Jail with bond set at $60,000. The teen was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. On July 1, the Alabama Department of Forensic Science reported that Taylors toxicology results tested positive for marijuana. The speed limit there was 55 mph. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Johnston Edward Taylor, of Auburn, was arrested on warrants Monday charging him with two counts of manslaughter, Auburn police said Monday afternoon in a news release. The 18-year-old charged in the crash that killed Auburn announcer Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, has been granted youthful offender status. McLauchlin, a retired judge handling the case, issued his order Tuesday. Auburn police, Photo from Lee Co. Sheriffs Office An arrest has been made in the crash that killed the Voice of the Auburn Tigers Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula. He also waived his right to a jury trial for a trial by court, according to Alabama law. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. If Taylor waives the hearing, it would go straight to grand jury. The Jeep struck the Brambletts SUV to the right of center, according to the crash report. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). She was pronounced dead in the emergency room from multiple internal injuries. Auburn police previously ruled out the use of a phone as a contributing factor in the cause of the crash and previously said alcohol was not a factor. Taylors blood sample contained THC, which is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, and is indicative of recent usage of marijuana at the time of the collision, records state. That incident happened at 7:20 a.m. and the officer observed the defendant accelerating rapidly, the prosecutor wrote. Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys Traffic Homicide Unit determined after an investigation on June 28 that Taylor was driving 89-91 mph when the accident happened. Rod Bramblett always did. Taylor was transported to the Lee County Jail and held on a $60,000 bond. The youthful offender status eliminates a jury trial, if there is a trial, and the range of punishment goes from two to 20 years had he been tried as an adult to zero to three years maximum. The applicant also waives their right to a jury trial for a trial by court, according to Alabama law.. None of this justifies what happened; however, it does lend itself to treatment as a Youthful Offender.. Johnston Edward Taylor is charged with manslaughter in the May 25, 2019 deaths of the Brambletts. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. According to WRBL, hundreds of members from the Auburn community attended the May 30 Celebration of Life service for the Brambletts. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? At the time of the deadly crash, Taylor was driving 89 mph, under the influence of marijuana, and still accelerating, authorities said, when he rammed into the back of the couples SUV. Rod Bramblett was airlifted to UAB Birmingham, where he later died from severe head injuries. I dont know exactly how it will proceed at this point, Jones told the Opelika-Auburn News on Friday. A motion was filed in court Wednesday afternoon to revoke the bond of Johnston Taylor, now 18. Rest In Peace to them but that CHILD does not need to go to prison, Abbie Newman wrote on Facebook. The defendant says when he last looked at the speedometer, he was going 60 to 65 mph,' the judge wrote. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. At the time of the accident, the defendant was a 16-year-old teenager with no prior criminal history, who had smoked or used marijuana and had been diagnosed with marijuana use disorder, the order granting Taylor youthful offender status signed by McLauchlin reads. Johnston Edward Taylor: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. THC is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana and is indicative of recent usage of marijuana at the time of the collision on May 25, the affidavit reads, according to the Opelika-Auburn News. Sign up for the Auburn Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. All rights reserved (About Us). Teenager charged with manslaughter. Due to Taylor being granted youthful offender status, the terms of his sentence are not being released. The teen told first responders that he fell asleep at the wheel and had no recollection of the accident. He was also arrested in June of this year on six counts of possession of child pornography. He has to live with this the rest of his life mentally and instead of therapy you are throwing A KID in prison for manslaughter. Johnston was not impaired at the time of the accident, Spina said. Taylor, who is a high school student at Lee-Scott Academy, has been charged as an adult. The officer told Taylor he smelled marijuana and Taylor told them he had not smoked marijuana since May. The impact caused the Jeep to hit a pedestrian and a traffic light pole before coming to a final rest. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. McLauchlin granted the now 18-year-old Taylor with youthful offender status on April 13. Taylor -- then a 16-year-old Lee Scott Academy student -- was traveling south in the outside lane on Shug Jordan Parkway approaching West Samford Avenue in his Jeep Laredo. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. More than $331,000 has been collected. The teenager involved in the crash that killed Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, has been arrested. After his release, records show, Taylor was cited by Auburn police on Nov. 24 for driving 68 mph in a 45-mph zone on South College Street near the intersection of South Donahue Drive. McLauchlin, a retired Dale County Judge appointed to Taylors case by the Alabama Supreme Court after numerous Lee County judges recused themselves from presiding over the case, documents show. According to Alabama law, a defendant deemed a youthful offender is considered to be guilty of breaking the Youthful Offender Statute, but not the crime they were originally charged with. The Brambletts vehicle was pushed into the intersection and through the opposing lanes of traffic before coming to a final rest on the curb. Auburn police and the Alabama Internet Crimes Against. The Auburn Police Division said in a statement that Johnston Edward Taylor of Auburn was arrested at his home on Monday. Police said the arrest stems from an investigation that began on June 7 and was initiated by the APD and members of the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Jeep struck the Brambletts SUV to the right of center, according to the crash report. Johnston had been without sleep for a period of time leading up to the day of the accident. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The teenager who was sentenced for the fatal crash that killed The Voice of the Auburn Tigers Rod Bramblett and his wife Paula has now been arrested on child pornography charges, according to Auburn police. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. As terrible as this crime is, I have a problem with anyone under 18 being charged as an adult for any reason, Chris Wiliams commented. An investigation completed on June 28 by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys Traffic Homicide Unit determined that Taylor had been traveling between 89-91 miles per hour, well over the posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Due to Taylor being granted youthful. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Johnston Edward Taylor, the teenage-driver of the car that killed Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, on May 25, 2019 has been sentenced, per AL.com. He was held in Lee County Jail on a $60,000 bond. At the time of the deadly crash, Taylor was driving 89 mph in a 55-mph zone, under the influence of marijuana, and still accelerating, authorities said, when he rammed into the back of the couples SUV. Tommy Spina, who represented Taylor, said that the sentence was fair and balanced in light of all facts and circumstances.. Thanks for ruining a kids life who is already traumatized by this terrible mistake he made. 0:00 5:34 AUBURN Johnston Edward Taylor, the teen charged in the 2019 crash that killed Auburn radio broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, was admitted to Lee County Jail on. Johnston Edward Taylor (Source: Lee County Sheriff's Office) By WSFA 12 News Staff. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes is asking that Johnston Edward Taylor's bond be revoked since he has gotten two speeding tickets and one reckless driving citation since the deadly accident seven months ago. Heand his wife were both graduates of Auburn University, so it was a special place to them that was dear to their hearts. He was held on a $50,000 bond but has since been released. Paula Bramblett, 53, was airlifted from the scene but had to be diverted to East Alabama Medical Center due to the severity of her injuries. You can cancel at any time. Lee County District Attorney Pro Tem Jessica Ventiere declined to comment on the case or motion. OPELIKA, Ala. (WIAT) A trial date has been set against the teenager charged with killing a longtime Auburn broadcaster and his wife in a fatal car crash last year. According to an order issued by Circuit Judge Jacob Walker III, attorney Tommy Spina and Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes agreed on terms of Taylors release. A youthful offender in the state of Alabama is classified as a person under the age of 21. The passenger had a hoodie pulled over his head and would not make eye contact with me.. The defense described the motion to revoke Taylors bond as a last minute hail Mary to try to put the defendant in jail and prejudice the court in its Y.O. Taylor was free on bond while charged with reckless manslaughter in the deaths of the couple. Please subscribe to keep reading. Taylor -- then a 16-year-old Lee Scott Academy student -- was traveling south in the outside lane on Shug Jordan Parkway approaching West Samford Avenue in his Jeep Laredo. Auburn play-by-play announcer Rob Bramblett and his wife were involved in a tragic accident today. According to. Johnston Edward Taylor, 16, was arrested on July 1 by the Lee County Sheriffs Office for the May 25 accident in which killed the couple. People share memories, thoughts on Rod Bramblett. According to a police report, Taylor told the officer he was sorry and he was speeding because his girlfriend was having an anxiety attack. All rights reserved (About Us). McLauchlin, a circuit judge, said. Johnston Edward Taylors "blood sample contained THC, which is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, and is indicative of recent usage of marijuana at the time of the collision, records state. The results of a drug test were received from the court administrators office and were given to the defense and prosecutionat about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, and a motion to revoke Taylors bond was filed about four hours later, according to court records. At the time of the deadly crash, Taylor was driving 89 mph in a 55-mph zone, under the influence of marijuana, and still accelerating, authorities said, when he rammed into the back of the couples SUV. The order granting Taylor youthful offender status was signed by Judge P.B. First and foremost, there are no words that I could say, on behalf of my client and his family that would adequately express the remorse and contrition that this child and his family feel for the loss caused to the Bramblett family as a result of this tragic accident, Spina said. Learn more about the car accident that ended two lives and ruined another. Powered by. Charges were not filed against Taylor until the. At the age of 16, Taylor was the. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Court documents revealed that Johnston Edward Taylor's 2011 Jeep Cherokee Laredo was accelerating from 89 mph to 91 mph, with no signs of any braking, at the time of the crash.